Creative Writing and Philosophy and Ethics

Contemporary creative writing is diverse. It’s digital and on the page; social and singular. Our comprehensive programme includes prose fiction, YA, flash fiction, poetry, scriptwriting for live performance and screen, life writing and memoir.

In fact, whatever you want to write, you’ll find an opportunity to explore it with us. You'll have the opportunity to collaborate on creative projects with other students both within and outside Creative Writing

We consider Western philosophical and ethical perspectives, and introduce you to the systems of thought of India and China. This mix of content and the inclusiveness of our approach make the Philosophy and Ethics course particularly distinctive, vital and compelling.

Rather than teaching philosophy primarily as a history of ideas – although we do explore this – we focus on the application of current philosophical thinking in contemporary settings and circumstances. You’ll consider our responses to environmental crises, for example, or questions of identity, belonging, social justice and the interplay between the personal and the political.

You’ll be able to work on magazines, local literary festivals and podcasts, while collaborating with fellow students through our creative writing, publishing and journalism student-run societies.

Year one
The course is carefully designed to enable you to explore and experiment with your writing and understand the foundations of writing craft. In addition to learning how to give and receive feedback from other writers in the BSU writing workshop, you’ll be experimenting with an array of different writing forms and genres. 

In addition, you’ll develop your skills in philosophical thinking, and follow a broad curriculum which allows you to ask questions, challenge your own assumptions, interrogate evidence, data and opinions.

You’ll also attend lectures from visiting writers and members of staff who will talk to you about their writing lives and experiences in the industry.

Year two
You’ll take a mixture of core and optional modules from a list that includes, for example, genre fiction, life writing, short stories, form and listening in poetry, and writing for screen. This range will enable you to specialise in a particular form or genre of writing.

The second year combines the academic study of Philosophy with the acquisition of professional skills and the application of your knowledge and understanding to a defined problem or idea.

You will also take the project module, Professional Portfolio, designed to help you develop the skills you need as a professional writer. You will be assigned a member of staff to be your project supervisor. They will help guide and advise you as you develop your idea. 

Year three
The final year of the programme is designed to consolidate your writing practice and support your progression into a writing-related career. You will take a dissertation-equivalent module in at least one of fiction, poetry, nonfiction, scriptwriting or writing for young people. 

Achievement, consolidation, creativity: your final project in the third year brings all this together. You’ll identify your own area of study, develop your proposal and put it into practice. This might be an extended piece of academic writing, an exhibition, community project, or the creation of digital resources.

Alongside that you have a choice of career-focused modules which include Live Literature and Professional Practice which offer you the opportunity to develop your own industry-facing creative projects. 

Assessment is based on 100% coursework (no exams). Most modules will require you to submit a portfolio of creative writing along with a reflective or contextual essay in which you describe what you have learned in class, what you have learned from the set texts and working on your own writing.

Creative Writing at Bath Spa University is taught through a mixture of workshops, lectures, presentations and tutorials. Throughout the course you'll have  the opportunity to read and discuss each other's work in a supportive, informal and informative atmosphere as well as discuss your work with your tutor on a one-to-one basis.

Our focus is on ‘doing philosophy’ and developing your confidence and capacity for philosophical analysis and debate. You'll be provided with opportunities for independent work which builds on your own interests, adds new dimensions to your thinking, or relates to plans for future careers and personal development

We believe that for you to achieve your maximum potential you have to take yourself and your writing seriously, and that the best way to do this is to develop a professional approach. Therefore, wherever appropriate, our modules run to industry standards and adopt industry practices.

To find out more about how we teach and how you'll learn, please read our Learning and Teaching Delivery Statement. 

Both Creative Writing and Philosophy and Ethics are taught at our stunning Newton Park campus, where you’ll be surrounded by wildlife and a beautiful 18th century landscape and lake.

You'll have access to a range of excellent facilities, including:

• Commons building with its state-of-the-art classrooms, study spaces and cafe
• Digital labs (Mac rooms) for students learning new media
• Virtual Learning Environment to support you in your modules.

As a student of both Creative Writing and Philosophy, you'll be able to benefit from:

• Cameras, audio recording equipment available for students to borrow absolutely free
• Technical staff to help students use industry standard software
• Library with print and ebooks, digital resources, literary magazines and journals.

As part of your degree, you could study abroad on a placement at one of Bath Spa’s partner universities.

Fieldwork and visits are an integral part of the course. We visit religious communities, mosques, temples, gurdwaras and churches.

We have excellent links with third sector organisations, working with environmental and educational charities, as well as others. These links support your study, as we’ll explore how religious, philosophical and ethical perspectives can be applied to current issues.

Creative Writing students often find exciting subject-related placements and we do our best to help students make connections and gain experiences in companies and organisations that interest them. Students often work with the Bath Literature Festival, for instance, or with production companies such as the BBC. The course team will help you on an individual basis as opportunities present themselves.

Past students have benefited from industry-based opportunities and experiences that have been incorporated into their modules, enabling them to secure credit for the time they have spent in industry environments.

The graduates from our Creative Writing and Philosophy degrees have careers in:

• The police service
• Health administration
• Education
• Social work
• Journalism
• Novelist
• Science magazine editor
• Children’s author
• Playwright
• Digital Marketing Executive
• Social media writer
• Commercial copywriter for brands or charities
• Regional editor for an online magazine
• University lecturer
• Editor (Random House)
• Poet.

Many of our students go on to study one of our specialist MA programmes in either Creative Writing, Writing for Young People, Screenwriting, Travel and Nature, or Children’s Publishing.

The ability to combine Philosophy and Ethics with another subject makes it ideal for individuals considering a career in teaching. Many graduates go on to train as teachers as a degree in philosophy and ethics is a foundation for a career in education.

Each year Creative Writing awards a range of prizes to its students to celebrate the best writing produced in the final year. The department also awards the Les Arnold Prize for the top student in the second year, honouring the memory of poet Les Arnold, who started the writing programme in 1992.

If you’re a full-time undergraduate student starting your first year at Bath Spa University, you can apply for the Certificate in Global Citizenship, which you’ll study alongside your degree.

You’ll gain global awareness and add an international dimension to your student experience, and funding is available. On successful completion of the programme, you’ll be awarded a Certificate in Global Citizenship. This is in addition to your degree; it doesn’t change your degree title or results.

Students are given numerous opportunities to focus on project work – from the first year core module (Writer's Workshop One) to the second year core module and into several project modules in the third year. Student projects are a core part of the Creative Writing curriculum and students are assisted to develop project ideas that support their creative and career ambitions. 

The Professional Placement Year (PPY) provides you with the opportunity to identify, apply for, and secure professional experience, normally comprising one to three placements over a minimum of nine months. Successful completion of this module will demonstrate your ability to secure and sustain graduate-level employment.

By completing the module, you'll be entitled to the addition of 'with Professional Placement Year' to your degree title.

Before your PPY, you'll work to identify roles of interest and secure a placement. The Placements Team will support through timetabled sessions and 1:1 appointments.

As well as completing a minimum of 900 placement hours, you will complete two assessments demonstrating your skill development, growth in professional behaviours and how the PPY has impacted your future career aspirations.

Aiming to make work experience more accessible, we have introduced the PPY Bursary. Students undertaking a PPY can receive between £500 and £1,500 to be used towards placement costs such as travel, food, workwear or accommodation.

For more information and details of eligibility criteria, please visit the PPY Bursary webpage.